Common Kinds of Welders

There are some welders which can be used to do various types of arc welding techniques. Three of the most common kinds are TIG, MIG and stick welders. You need to get used to working with a multi-function welder so you can figure out what type of welding would be the best one to use for a project.

TIG welding, which is also known as gas tungsten arc welding, can be used to make a high quality weld on almost all metals. The process melts and then melds two metals together by utilising the base metal and a non-consumable electrode. You can use it for metals like aluminium and magnesium since these are usually quite tricky to weld. Do not use a filler so that you can get a cleaner-looking weld that has no slag and a lesser amount of spatter.

MIG welding, or metal inert gas welding, can be used to weld metals that are more than one-fourths of an inch thick. It is similar to TIG welding, but with a consumable electrode instead of a non-consumable one. It consists of a long wire placed through a hole in the handle of the gun which then bears an electric current. MIG welding produces clean joints with no slag. It is also very easy to learn, even for beginners.

Stick welding is best for jobs that require a lot of mobility and flexibility. It can be used for repair and construction as well as maintenance with non-reactive metals. The welding makes use of a flux-covered electrode which melts when it is heated by an electric current. This provides the filler metal to the puddle while the flux covering produces a gas which protects the hardening weld.

• Training videos with an HD camcorder - Welding trainees